Andrei

 

Propping myself up a little higher, I looked down at Faye in amazement. Her hair was tossed in a bright torrent of gold across the dark pillows and her eyes were soft as she smiled up at me. A daring, arch smile that had me grasping after my sanity.

“You are going to be the death of me,” I murmured as I kissed her again.

I wanted to tell her so many things. How she’d somehow found a place in my heart I didn’t know existed. How I couldn’t imagine life without her. How I’d do anything for her.

“I mean it, Faye, if you need something, ask me,” I murmured in her ear.

“I need you to take this shirt off,” she responded, and I laughed out loud at that.

“Maybe in a bit,” I murmured, teasing her and she squirmed underneath me. My blood rushed to pool underneath my stomach and I gritted my teeth. “Faye, maybe we should stop…”

Her hands slid underneath my shirt, teasing up the sides of my body, then across my abs and chest. In another second, I had my shirt off and Faye grinned, eyes dancing across me.

“You will pay for that,” I murmured, nipping at her collarbone and she gasped.

“Andrei,” she purred, gripping my biceps and I raised my head. “Come here.”

Our lips met again, crashing together this time and she was shivering against me. Her legs crisscrossed behind my back and our hips rocked together. I growled as she whimpered.

“Faye, are you sure?” I whispered in her ear.

“Hell yes,” she whispered back fiercely.

“I want you,” I said, my breathing harsh. “I want you in so many ways, but know that this is not some fling.” I nuzzled her neck. “It is not easy for me to say, but I have…” I swallowed and let out a long, laughing breath. “I have feelings for you.”

“Oh, Andrei,” Faye murmured. “I know. This is different – I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.” Her lips brushed against my cheek as I smiled. “And no one has ever… No one has ever made me feel this way or done the things that you’ve done.”

Smirking, I met her eyes and winked, “Of course not. There’s only one me.”

Her eyes danced as she smiled back. “Mmhm.”

Gazing down at her, I lost track of what I was saying and swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. That smug triumph melted away into wonder. How did we get here?

“Fortune favors the bold, perhaps,” I murmured.

“You gonna spend all day looking at me and spouting off poetry, Zima?” Faye challenged. “Or are you going to kiss me?”

Bending down, I was about to kiss her when I heard the front door open and close. Heavy footsteps crossed the living room and there was a murmur of voices.

Faye heard it, too, eyes wide and muscles tensed.

“Who is it?” she asked. “TLO? Shifters of Anubis?”

“Worse,” I groaned, hearing the familiar tones of Russian. “Family. Stay here.”

In a flash, I was out of bed and cursing whoever it was in my house as I yanked on a shirt. Only a handful of people knew about it. And none of them should have been in Canada.

What the hell was going on?

Leaping down the stairs, I stopped short when I saw who it was.

Anger and fear rose up in a sharp wave as my sister turned to me, puzzled and smiling.

“Andi? My brother, what are you doing here?” she cried out, arms wide.

I came down the stairs, shaking my head, as my eyes went to Roy, who also looked baffled to see me and Max Finnick, who grinned.

“Nice digs, Zima. Is this where you take the ladies?” he asked in his dancing Irish brogue.

My jaw clenched as I thought of Faye upstairs. “What are you all doing here?”

“Sorry, love, it was my idea,” Svetlana said, hugging me and I patted her head. A gurgling laugh interrupted us and I looked down to see Tulila waving her arms at me from her car seat. My stomach plunged even lower. “You don’t look happy to see us.”

In Russian, I hissed, “Svetty, you’re supposed to be in Russia! Safe! Does no one listen to me anymore?”

“Don’t worry, most of the rest of the family is holed up and safe. But because Tuly isn’t a shifter, we thought it might be better to have her somewhere they won’t look for her,” Svetlana explained. “Aw, did we wake you, grumpy tiger?”

Roy interrupted, clearing his throat. “Um, sorry Andrei, Hans thought it would be a better idea to have her come here and stay in Los Angeles with the Lafis. Safer. And we’re escorting her.”

“Only Svetlana and Tuly?” I snapped in English now as Finni looked between us. “I’m sorry, you all have to go. Roy, you need to get them back to Russia, now.” Then I paused, eyes wide. “Wait, this was Han’s idea?” I raked my hands through my hair. Did this mean my brother-in-law was a traitor? But he was a good man, a good father and had retired years ago – it didn’t make sense.

“Oh no, Ivan convinced him. You know he’s a Black Op under Herrod, so he…” Svetlana trailed off, her white-blonde head tilting to the side as she looked at me. “Andrei are you okay?”

I sank into a chair, unable to answer. Thinking back, I was remembering how Ivan had come out of Mirois’s office. The look in his eyes. He’d also showed up at the Foundry that fateful night.

As much as my mind rejected it, screaming he was family, he was my cousin, he would never do that – my gut was grimly certain. Ivan had always sought power.

And he has sold his own blood for it.

“You have to get back home,” I said, staring up at my sister. “You have no idea what kind of danger you’re in. Roy – Finni, please tell me no one else knows you’re here.”

“Of course not,” Roy said, sounding faintly put out.

“It’s not that, it’s not that I don’t trust you – it’s that we are in danger from our own…” I put my head in hands. “Oh my god, this is how they would get the Zimas.”

“Andrei, you’re scaring me,” Svetlana said in a soft voice, sitting next to me. “Talk to us – what is happening? You know we were safe I doubt anyone in the Order knows we’re here.”

I let out a frustrated noise. “I cannot tell you the whole of it – the more people who know, the more danger–” I stopped myself. I’d almost said, Faye is in. I looked up at Roy, who was raising his eyebrows at me.

“I think I know what all this is about,” Finni interrupted, grinning. “We got you in the middle of a getaway with some bird, didn’t we, mate? You’re supposed to be working and you’re up here.” He yawned and threw himself on the couch. “No worries, Andrei, we won’t say a word.”

“Oh!” Roy’s face lit up with a mischievous grin. “Well, everyone needs to blow off steam.”

I ground my teeth, glaring between the two of them. “That isn’t what this is about.”

“There’s for sure someone upstairs,” Finni said, gesturing at the two plates on the table and my chest seized with panic. I’d forgotten to clean up last night. “Bet she’s gorgeous.”

“Andrei!” Svetlana said, smacking me and sounding both relieved and outraged. “You jackass! We’re only staying for the day – I wanted to check on the house and make sure it was okay. If I’d known you were here on vacation, obviously I wouldn’t have come.”

“This is no vacation!” I snapped. “This is important work!”

“It’s okay, big brother,” she said, getting up and picking up Tulila. “Now, she needs to be changed and fed. I’ll use the bathroom down here so as to not disturb your lady friend.”

Outraged, my jaw swung loosely as Svetlana marched away, Tulila waving her fists at me over her mother’s shoulder. Then I turned back to Roy and Finni, who both looked diabolically pleased.

“What’s her name?” Roy asked.

“She the one who scratched you up, mate?” Finni asked, eyeing the bandage over my eye. “You would like a wildcat, wouldn’t you?”

I stood up so fast the two of them recoiled. “Listen to me right now – you will get my sister back to Russia as soon as possible.”

Roy winced. “I don’t know if we can, Andrei. Svetlana is as stubborn as you are.” He studied me. “Hey, I thought you were supposed to be somewhere in the Pacific. Hawaii?”

Glancing between the two of them, I wondered if I should tell them. If there was anyone I knew I could trust with this secret, it was these two. But I wasn’t sure if they should share in this burden. And I couldn’t think straight – not with Faye upstairs, wondering what was going on.

Either way, it would be her call.

“You find something out that we should know, Andrei?” Finni asked quietly.

“I’ll be right back,” I said shortly, going upstairs.

“Doesn’t like questions,” Roy said in a loud whisper to Finni and they both laughed.

I found Faye pulling on a sweatshirt and she gave me a curious look. Then she sat down on the edge of the made bed and let out a long sigh.

“What?” I asked. “I haven’t said anything.”

“You’ve got a good poker face for the world, Andrei, but not with me,” she said. “I know I should be sitting down for this. What’s going on?”

I decided not to hold back. “Roy and Finni are downstairs with my sister and niece.”

Her brown eyes went huge as she pulled in a long breath and nodded. “Roy and Finni?” The longing in her voice and face was unmistakable. She’d mentored both of them.

Squatting down, I placed my hands on her knees. “I trust them both, but I’m not sure if we should tell them. The more people who know, the less safe you are.”

“But we also cannot do this alone, Andrei." Faye pushed her hair back and sighed. “Does anyone know they are here? We’re here?”

“No,” I said. “We’d be surrounded if that was the case.”

“Wait, why is your sister here?” Faye asked.

I sat down heavily on the floor and pressed my face into her knee, gripping her calf. “Ivan.”

Worried hands pulled on my hair. “What…? No. I know he can be…”

“Power-hungry? Ruthless? Cruel?” I asked dully. “There’s always been something missing from him – some element of humanity. Think of how he bullied Roy.” I swallowed. “And when I went to meet with Mirois, he was coming out of her office. And I think I know why – he’s convinced Svetlana’s husband that staying in LA with the Lafis is safer than Russia.”

Her hands reached down and lifted my face. “That’s how they would get the Zimas.”

It was exactly the conclusion I had come to and my stomach clenched. “No one will listen to me, though. I can’t seem to convince Roy and Finni to bring her home.”

“Let me,” she said grimly, sounding like a big sister ready to knock heads together.

“Are you sure?” I asked. “They think I’m here partying with some chick and blowing off work.”

“Why do they think that?” Faye asked, amusement filling her gaze. “And are you?”

Shaking my head, I said, “I forgot to clean up last night.”

“Oh,” Faye murmured. “Rookie mistake, Zima.”

“Hey, I didn’t know we were being invaded today,” I protested. Standing up, I went over to my bag and pulled out jeans and a flannel shirt. “I’m going to get dressed and we can go downstairs.” Her cheeks paled. “You don’t have to do this.”

“It’s not that,” Faye whispered. “I want to see them so badly… It’s just how do I do this?”

“Walk downstairs and say, ‘surprise, I’m not dead?’” I suggested, trying to make her laugh.

Faye winced. “Andrei,” she said in a reproachful voice.

“They won’t be upset with you, Faye,” I said, reading the fear in her eyes.

She nodded and I wanted to say more, but I decided to give her a minute to adjust to all of this. Slipping into the bathroom, I changed and splashed water on my face. Most of my cuts had healed and I disposed of the bandages.

Walking back out, I found Faye in exactly the same position, only her knees were pulled to her chin and she’d clasped her arms around them.

“I’ll go down first and break it to them gently,” I offered.

“No, I should tell them. But maybe you should go down first – I’ll be there in a minute…”

“Faye,” I said and she looked up at me, her eyes wet. “It’s going to be okay.”

Bending over, I kissed her, as though I could take away some of her pain. And when I pulled back, she was smiling.

“What?” I asked.

“I think you’re not happy that Roy and Finni found you out,” she teased.

“Lucky guess,” I grumbled as I walked to the door.

“Andrei?” Faye asked and I turned. “Thank you.”

A sigh escaped me as warmth blazed in my chest. “Anything for you, kid.”